In The News

The Nashville Scene’s Chris Chamberlain visited one of Bonelaw’s clients last week and chimed in on what all the hype is about. Smokin Thighs, which has had tremendous success as a food truck venture, has opened a brick-and-mortar location at 611 Wedgewood Ave., and as Chamberlain noted, they are on fire. Smoked chicken is the staple on the menu, prepared various ways and served alongside mac-and-cheese, corn and other non-fried side dishes. Diners can enjoy thighs, wings and legs with an assortment of sauces and rubs. In addition, the owner has added a few new items to the menu, including chicken burgers, a chicken wedge salad, a loaded baked potato salad and chicken nachos. Smokin Thighs currently serves high-gravity beers and liquor, and the firm’s Alcoholic Beverage Law practice is working to secure the appropriate permit for them to serve regular beer.

Bone McAllester Norton attorney James E. Mackler spoke with Steve Haruch, reporter for the Nashville Scene, about the complexity of the laws and regulations surrounding the use of drones. But despite the difficulty in traversing those rules, the reporter points out that drones are here to stay.

James’s comments appeared in two articles in this week’s Scene. In the cover story, he explains that the rules are confusing, so he tends to be cautious in his reading of what the FAA says is allowed and what isn’t allowed. The current law starts with a blanket ban on the use of drones and then includes exceptions, such as for authorized military use, search and rescue and scholarly research. “I would never tell a client to violate FAA regulations. . .but if someone came to me and said the FAA was trying to enforce those regulations, I would work very hard to defend them by arguing that those regulations are not enforceable. That particular person may or may not have violated the law, or the regulation, but there’s probably an argument to be made either way,” he said.

And in a supporting story on how two Tennessee companies are using drones legally, James points that “a strict reading of the regulation” hints that a commercial organization utilizing drones for commercial purposes “would be included in the regulations, unless you’ve got a COA (certificate of authorization) or you’re flying at an FAA test site.”

James concentrates his law practice in the areas of federal criminal defense, regulatory compliance and civil litigation. He is the founder of Bonelaw’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) focus, the first of its kind in the region.

Bone McAllester Norton PLLC is a full-service law firm with 38 attorneys and offices in Nashville and Sumner County, Tennessee. Our attorneys focus on 17 distinct practice areas, providing the wide range of legal services ordinarily required by established and growing businesses and entrepreneurs. Among our practices, we represent clients in business and capital formation, mergers and acquisitions, securities matters, commercial lending and creditors’ rights, commercial real estate and development, governmental regulatory matters, commercial litigation and dispute resolution, intellectual property strategy and enforcement, entertainment and environmental matters. Our client base reflects the firm’s deep understanding and coverage of today’s leading industry and business segments. For more information, visit www.bonelaw.com.

Bone McAllester Norton attorney William T. Cheek III talked with the Nashville Scene last week about problems arising in judicial elections—from poorly informed voters to partisan labels for judicial candidates. With regard to conflicts of interest among those running for judge, Will, who was cited as the “go-to lawyer for issues involving the spirits industry,” told the paper that today’s elections are a vast improvement over the infighting at the judicial level that elections from years ago saw in Nashville’s Democratic machine factions. “You read some of these old stories, and the political parties were crazy. . .but I think we’re fortunate [now] in Nashville not to have too much [corruption] going on.”

The Nashville Scene featured Bone McAllester Norton client OZ Nashville in a story today, saying the contemporary performing and visual art space is blazing trails in the city. Cano Ozgener, an Armenian Turk who found success in tobacco, is the mastermind behind the space that will see the likes of Wayne McGregor’s Random Dance Company, Nashville Ballet and The Intergalactic Nemesis this year. OZ’s flexible performance space enables artists from varying disciplines to present their art in a non-traditional context.

Congratulations to Bone McAllester Norton client and friend Renata Soto, who has been honored as the Nashvillian of the Year from the Nashville Scene. Soto is the executive director of Conexion Americas, which opened Casa Azafran last December. The community center along Nolensville Road houses 10 nonprofit organizations that provides needed services for diverse ethnic groups. The Scene’s Nashvillian of the Year award has been given annually since 1989.

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